1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for lifting a door, and more particularly, toward an apparatus for lifting and transporting an automobile door.
2. Description of Related Art
During the manufacture of a vehicle, it may be necessary to remove a vehicle door and transport the door to another location for subsequent assembly before reattaching the door to the vehicle. As vehicle doors are usually heavy, apparatuses that can assist in the lifting and transport of vehicle doors are often employed for this task. Several apparatuses are currently used for such purposes. However, these apparatuses can be expensive to purchase and maintain, and can be cumbersome to operate.
One such apparatus employs a pneumatic assist arm attached to a door holding apparatus. The assist arm extends from an overhead support assembly, and the lifted door hangs in the air once it is removed from the vehicle. While such devices work satisfactorily, they require significant expenditures to install and maintain, and are not readily adaptable to changes in the assembly layout. Moreover, such devices are not adapted to take a door, which is in a substantially vertical position or orientation on a vehicle, and place the door in an angled or tilted position on a support platform, as is desired. Rather, operator intervention may be required to angle or tilt the door as it is placed onto the support platform.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a door lifting apparatus with a simple design having ergonomic benefits and requiring little maintenance. There also exists a need for a compact door lifting apparatus that is easy to operate and maneuverable in limited access areas. There further exists a need in the art for an apparatus that will receive a door in a substantially vertical orientation and reposition the door into a tilted orientation for placement on a support platform.